College Football

Smith-Njigba, Stroud highlight New Year's Day bowl game standouts

Updated Jan. 2, 2022 12:27 a.m. ET

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New Year's Day is traditionally the time when college football stars take center stage.

And while the monumental College Football Playoff matchups took place on New Year's Eve, there were still a few mammoth contests on tap the day after, including a Fiesta Bowl showdown between No. 5 Notre Dame and No. 9 Oklahoma State, a Sugar Bowl battle between No. 7 Baylor and No. 8 Ole Miss, and of course, "The Granddaddy of Them All" — No. 6 Ohio State vs. No. 11 Utah in the Rose Bowl.

It was a wild day, with several record-breaking performances — and Ohio State coach Ryan Day might have summed up the day best following his Buckeyes' 48-45 victory:

Here are the standouts from bowl game action on New Year's Day.

CJ Stroud, QB, Ohio State

If you didn't watch the Rose Bowl for some reason and find yourself wondering why Day was yelling, "Wow" in Stroud's face in the video above, we're here to help you out:

After the Buckeyes fell behind 14-0 in the first quarter, Stroud went to work, throwing the ball around the Rose Bowl as if he was playing a video game on easy mode. Stroud became the first Ohio State quarterback to pass for 500 yards in a game and also became the first QB to surpass that mark in a Rose Bowl. His 572 yards were the third-most in FBS history.

He also tied the Ohio State record for most passing touchdowns in a game (6), the second time he has done so this season. His six TD passes were as many as Utah has surrendered in its previous seven games combined.

Jaxon Smith-Njigba, WR, Ohio State

As good as Stroud was, he wasn't even voted MVP of the Rose Bowl — that honor went to his primary target on the day, Smith-Njigba. The Buckeyes had a few key players opt out of the game, including receivers Chris Olave and Garrett Wilson. No matter –– that just meant more passes thrown in Smith-Njigba's direction, and the sophomore was more than up to the task, catching 15 passes for 347 yards and three touchdowns.

Smith-Njigba set a number of records in Ohio State's victory. His 347 receiving yards broke a single-game Rose Bowl receiving record. He set an Ohio State single-season receiving record (1,606). He broke the bowl record for receiving yards. He broke Ohio State's single-game receiving yards mark. And he broke Ohio State's single-season receptions record (95). On top of all of this, Smith-Njigba's 347 receiving yards were more than the passing yards of 12 of Utah's previous 13 opponents.

KJ Jefferson, QB, Arkansas

Jefferson didn't do a lot in the passing game in Arkansas' 24-10 victory over Penn State in the Outback Bowl. It wasn't that Jefferson struggled — he completed 14 of 19 passes for 98 yards — but that the Razorbacks almost completely focused on the ground game. Arkansas absolutely pounded the Nittany Lions with its rushing attack, gaining 353 yards on 58 carries and averaging 6.1 yards per attempt. Jefferson led the way, gaining 110 yards on 20 carries and scoring a touchdown. Raheim Sanders added 79 yards on 13 carries and Dominique Johnson chipped in another 77 yards on 11 carries, but it was Jefferson who walked away with MVP honors.

Wan'Dale Robinson, WR, Kentucky

With 3:31 to go in the Citrus Bowl, the No. 22 Wildcats had the ball on their own 20-yard line, trailing No. 15 Iowa 17-13. That's when Robinson stepped up big time, helping Kentucky march 80 yards for the game-winning score. The junior receiver made multiple big plays on the drive, including this nab on third-and-10 while taking a tremendous hit.

Then came the big one –– a 47-yard gain on a pass from Will Levis to set up Chris Roridguez's game-winning TD run.

Robinson finished with 10 catches for 170 yards on the day, bringing his impressive season totals to 104 receptions and 1,334 yards. He now has the UK record for most receiving yards in a single season.

Spencer Sanders, QB, Oklahoma State

Sanders entered Saturday's Fiesta Bowl matchup with Notre Dame with 3,011 yards of total offense on the season. He added nearly 500 more against the Irish. Sanders proved nearly unstoppable against the Irish, passing for 371 yards and four touchdowns, and rushing for another 125 yards on just 17 carries, all while guiding the Cowboys back from a 28-7 deficit to a 37-35 triumph. 

He did cough up a fumble late in the fourth quarter that gave Notre Dame a chance at a comeback, but Oklahoma State's defense held firmly enough. Sanders' 496 yards of offense was a Fiesta Bowl record.

Jack Coan, QB, Notre Dame

The Irish weren't able to give Marcus Freeman a victory in his first game as Notre Dame head coach, but it wasn't for a lack of effort from Coan, who passed for a Fiesta Bowl-record 509 yards. He also threw five touchdowns and spread the ball around liberally to his teammates, as Lorenzo Styles Jr. (136), Chris Tyree (115) and Kevin Austin Jr. (105) all went over 100 yards receiving and caught a touchdown pass. Michael Mayer added 72 yards and a pair of scores. 

Abram Smith, RB, Baylor

Smith was one of the few individual standouts in Saturday's Allstate Sugar Bowl, as the game proved to be mostly a defensive battle. He made his mark with 172 rushing yards on 25 carries, breaking Baylor's all-time single-season rushing record in the process. 

Smith's yards on the ground proved to be paramount considering Baylor QB Gerry Bohanon only accounted for 40 yards through the air. It was Smith's ninth 100-yard game of the season, nearly reaching his career-high of 188 rushing yards, a mark he set earlier this season against BYU. 

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College Football

CFB - Outback Bowl - 01/01/2022

Penn State Nittany Lions

Arkansas Razorbacks

CFB - Fiesta Bowl - 01/01/2022

Oklahoma State Cowboys

Notre Dame Fighting Irish

CFB - Citrus Bowl - 01/01/2022

Iowa Hawkeyes

Kentucky Wildcats

CFB - Rose Bowl - 01/01/2022

Ohio State Buckeyes

Utah Utes

CFB - Sugar Bowl - 01/02/2022

Baylor Bears

Ole Miss Rebels

KJ Jefferson

Wan'Dale Robinson

C.J. Stroud

Jaxon Smith-Njigba